


Castle Of Glass

by QueenOfNewOrleans22



Category: Guns N' Roses
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, Insecurity, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:54:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25837618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenOfNewOrleans22/pseuds/QueenOfNewOrleans22
Summary: Izzy's feeling insecure, and Steven isn't having it.
Relationships: Steven Adler/Izzy Stradlin
Kudos: 23





	Castle Of Glass

"Why the long face?" Steven plopped down beside Izzy, his frizzy blonde hair forming a wild nest around his face, which currently held a perspective little frown that didn't fit the lips that were usually twisted into a bright, cheerful grin. Izzy didn't respond, just tried to slowly move away, only to be stopped by a firm arm that grabbed him and pulled him close. Steven never seemed to be deterred by anything, no matter how sharp or angry the rebuff was. Izzy felt inclined to tell him to go away, but couldn't muster the words and, honestly, didn't want his friend to leave. "Nothing. Go and find someone else to bother." He replied in a low mutter, hunching into himself and trying to disappear back into his own world. Words and emotions didn't come to him easily, in fact, they were always jumbled and twisted and awkward and never seemed right at all. Steven sighed, pursed his lips, and than began to brush away some of Izzy's hair from his eyes. Izzy went to pull away, but the feeling of Steven's fingers against his forehead was nice, comforting, even, and so he didn't. 

They were backstage, sitting on the steps that lead down to the floor level. People were bustling around them, but even as legs jostled his body and made him nearly fall from his precarious perch, Izzy didn't want to move. Steven sat beside him, seemingly unbothered by how long they sat there. "So, you gonna tell me, man?" Steven asked. Izzy shrugged, rubbed his eyes, fingers brushing against his bandana. It was cold out, the band would be setting off soon. "Am I ugly? And don't be biased here just because you're-" Izzy lowered his voice into a harsh whisper, "- _fucking me."_ He finished. Steven got a little smirk on his face, and he poked at Izzy's ribs. "How could I not be biased? Why would I fuck somebody who is ugly?" 

Izzy huffed. "Okay. Whatever, man." He stood up, irritation bubbling up within his chest, but Steven reached up and dragged his shirt sleeve, dragging him back down with a strength that had become sort of expected from him. Izzy grunted, but didn't try and fight it. Steven was a force to be reckoned with, really. "Who made you think you were ugly? 'Cause I can assure you, chances are, they're much uglier." 

The tour manager appeared, whirling his finger around like a rapid tornado. "Let's get back in the bus, boys!" He called, and Steven nodded energetically, raising his hand back to acknowledge the yell before he turned back, his eyes serious for the first time in forever. It was jarring, in a way. Seriousness didn't suit him well. "As soon as we get to the hotel, then we talk, okay?" He said. Before Izzy could answer, Steven grabbed his sleeve and pulled him up, dragging him back towards the bus where the others waited, two patiently, one impatiently. 

The ride back to the hotel was unusually long. Steven did his usual tease, that bastard, running his fingers along the length of Izzy's leg and then dipping low, making the other man squirm. "Will you please stop?" Izzy hissed, but Steven just smiled, and continued to do so, relying on Izzy's dislike of causing a scene. 

They arrived at the old hotel that they were staying at to save money. 

Not a moment too soon, Steven directed them back to the room they were delegated to sharing. Axl got a room to himself, while Duff and Slash shared another room. Steven made excuses so quick that it was like he'd been practicing them on the drive, lies that came naturally, a far cry from his usual horrific attempts to twist the truth. Izzy hurried to keep pace when they set off to their room, leaving the others to do whatever they did. 

Door opened, door closed. The lock turned. And Izzy was shoved onto the bed, bouncing slightly on the surprisingly firm mattress. "What was that for?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Steven was undressing. Not his pants, but his jacket, shirt, shoes. He tossed them all in the corner, and brushed away his hair so that it was out of his face. "You know what." He got onto the bed, crawling until he was straddling Izzy and leaning over him. "So, are you gonna tell me who called you ugly?" 

Izzy shook his head. "Listen, it isn't important." 

For the first time that Izzy could remember, Steven rolled his eyes and gave a rather exasperated sigh. "Okay, sure, you were practically crying about it earlier, _so-"_

"I was not crying! Get off of me, you're heavy." Izzy tried to buck the other man off of him, but it was futile. Steven leaned down and kissed him, deep and slow, and Izzy moaned, leaning foward, but then they broke apart. "What do you think is ugly about you? Don't be shy." 

There was a firm determination in his voice. Izzy knew that he wouldn't be let up without an answer, and since he wasn't strong enough to push Steven off of him, he relented to the pressure. "My nose. You could ski off of it, you know." Izzy meant it as a joke, but the smile fell away from Steven's face. Leaning down, he lightly kissed the tip of Izzy's nose, making him instinctively scrunch his face up. 

"I love your nose. It compliments the rest of your face." Steven, for emphasis, framed Izzy's face in his hands. "Which is handsome as hell, by the way, I love it. Now, what else?" 

Izzy sighed, and resisted the urge to cross his arms. "My whole body is shaped weird, _don't make that face!"_ Izzy regretted ever bringing the topic up. Steven carefully schooled his incredulous expression into a blank slate and then started, with a quick determination that wasn't bothered by anything, to undo the buttons on Izzy's vest. For a moment, that's just they did, and then Izzy smacked at his hands. "I take it back." He said, but Steven didn't stop. Rather, it seemed to make him even more determined, and didn't stop until the vest fell away. 

It was rather awkward for Izzy to just lay there, so he assisted with the rest of the undressing, pulling his shirt up and over and watching as it was promptly tossed onto the floor. Steven got a mischievous look on his face as he adjusted himself, and it made Izzy's heart beat faster at just the right of him. "Well, I think you might just be blind." Steven said, leaning down and beginning to trail kisses. From Izzy's neck down to where his hip bones were, and then back up again, taking his blessedly sweet time while Izzy shivered on the bed. Steven knew how to undo Izzy, how to read down his sharp-tongued defences and tear down his walls, make him fall apart like a carefully constructed sand castle in the beach and a wave of water from the everlasting sea. "I've never seen such a handsome, wonderful, grumpy man in my life, and whoever told you any differently doesn't deserve to know how it affected you." Steven said, voice feel with promise and truth.

"The roadies." Izzy whispered. 

Steven stilled, and then he rolled his eyes. "I don't think the ones we got are the sharpest tools in the shed." He replied, tracing patterns and lines on Izzy's torso with his finger. "What do their opinions matter? They're too busy draping themselves over Axl to give a damn about the rest of us." 

"I'd rather not think about Axl right now." Izzy mumbled, reaching for and tangling his fingers in Steven's hair, pulling him foward until they were face-to-face, their noses just about touching. For a long moment, there was no rush. And then their mouths crashed together, connecting in a way that beyond just physical, pulling them away from the world and placing them into their own personal paaradise. 

They pulled away for air, and Steven, smiling in that gentle way of his that never seemed to fail, trailed his fingers alongside Izzy's jaw in an almost longingly manner. "You're absolutely gorgeous." He said, eyes narrowing slightly with the conviction. "Don't let anybody convince you otherwise." 


End file.
